Cement block and brick machine.



PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

- 'r. P. SHOEMAKER. CEMENT BLOCK AND BRICK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1905.

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T. P. SHOBMAKER. CEMENT BLOCK AND BRICK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR-.10, 1906.

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ATTORNEYS BYFM PATENTED DEC. 12,1905.

w v w R T. F. SHOEMAKER. CEMENT BLOCK AND BRICK MACHINE. APPLIIOATIONFILED APR. 10, 1905.

WIT/V5 SE5- I UNITED STATES TAYLOR F; SHOEMAKER,

OF BLUFFTON, lNDI ANA.

CEMENT BLOCK AND BRICK MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application filed April 10, 1905. Serial No. 254,806.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, TAYLOR F. SHOE- MAKER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Blufl'ton, in the county of Wells, in the State ofIndiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CementBlock and Brick Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following isa'full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form partof this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cement block and brick machines.

The object of my present invention is to provide a comparatively cheap,simple, efiicient machine for makin cement blocks and bricks positiveand rehab e in action and having a novel and convenient means fordelivering the same from the machine when molded.

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine which is not onlyadapted for making cement blocks and brick, but which can also bereadily adapted for making cement fence-posts, steps, window-caps,window-sills, and the like by a slight and convenient change in themechanism.

My invention consists of an upright supporting-frame on which isadjustably mounted a vertically-movable table for the plastic materialand a vertically-adjustable mold arranged in a longitudinal opening inthe said table and having a fixed relation thereto, laterally-movableallets in cooperative relation with the said mold, means for verticallyactuating the said table and molds, means for discharging the moldedblock or productfrom the mold, and means for delivering the loadedpallet to the convenient reach of the operator.

The principal novel feature of my invention resides in the improvedmeans for discharging the cement block from the mold and for deliveringit forward upon its supporting-pallet to the convenient reach of theoperator.

Similar reference-numerals indicate like parts in the several views ofthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 s a top plan of myinvention, broken away in part to show the means for delivering theloaded pallets forward. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same with theblock-discharging means thrown back into the position it assumes whenthe molds are being filled and also shows the means for verticallyadjusting the mold. Fig. 3 is a crosssection of the same on the line 2 zof Fig. 1, showing in dotted outline the upper limit of thevertically-adjustable mold and table. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan of acorner-block mold with the pallet removed, showing a mold adapted for acement block having its edges either beveled or not, as desired. Fig. 5is a cross-section of the same on the line w a: of Fig. 4 with thepallet in position, showing how with a beveled edge the block canreadily be discharged from the mold. Fig. 6 is a top plan of afence-post mold in position upon a supporting-pallet having a series ofvertical recesses in its inner face to receive the outer ends of wireloops, whose inner adjacent ends are embedded in the post when molded,two of the said wire loops being shown in position in the said recesses.Fig. 7 is a cross-section of Fig. 6 on the line y y of Fig. 6, showingthe wire loops in position in the retaining-recesses of the mold.

The supporting -frame for my invention may be of any suitable form, butpreferably consists of the horizontal transverse plates 1., in parallelarrangement rigidly connected by the parallel longitudinal plates 2,forming the base of the frame. Upon this base are rigidly erected thefour uprights 3, rigidly connected transversely at their upper ends bythe plates 4, and are rigidly stayed by the longitudinal parallel plates5, which are also supported by the upright plates 13,. fixed on theplate 2, Fig. 3. Upon the upper edge of these plates 5 are fixed inparallel transverse arrangement the horizontal bars 6, in whose oppositebifurcated ends are rotatably mounted the respective pulleys 7 and 8,the latter of which is rigidly connected by rotatable shaft 9, passingconcentrically through the same and having upon one end thereof thefixed hand-wheel 10, by which this shaft 9 is actuated. The pulleys 7and 8 are operatively connected by the respective endless belts 11, ofany suitable material and passing over the same and provided upon theirouter face with the fixed'pins 12, in predetermined arrangement for thepurpose about to be described.

Upon the plates 5 are fixed a plurality,

gage its opposite edges, as shown in Fig. 3, for the purpose of movingthe loaded pallet forward and to move another pallet forward to take itsplace in the manner hereinafter described.

In opposite vertical grooves 16 in the inner faces of the uprightstandards 3 at each end of the machine are slidably mounted thebifurcated standards 17, to the inner face of whose upper ends aredetachably connected the opposite ends of the molds 18, Fig. 1, whichmay be either for solid cement blocks, bricks, fence-posts, or otherproducts.

The mold shown in position in Fig. 1 is for cement bricks and is adaptedto make a plurality of them at one time, preferably siX, as shown, andconsists of the compartments 19, separated by the fixed transversepartitions 20. To the top of the standards 17 are pivotally mounted theupper ends of the respective duplicate operating rods 21, whose lowerends are pivotally connected to one end of the short duplicate leverarms 22, whose other ends are rigidly mounted on the opposite andrespective projecting ends of the horizontal shaft 23, which isrotatably mounted in suitable bearings in the crossplates 24, fixed tothe standards 3 at or near their lower ends. On the other extended endof this shaft 23 is fixed a short shaft 24, carrying upon its free end acounterbalancingweight 25, normally elevated to the inclined position(shown in full lines in Fig. 3) and adapted to aid in the verticaladjustment of the mold. On the other end of the shaft 23, adjacent tothe lever 22, is fixed the lower end of the hand-lever 26, whose normalposition is substantially vertical, as shown, and

by means of which the vertically-movable standards 17 are actuated.

Upon the mold 18 is removably mounted the feed-table 27, having alongitudinal opening substantially coincident with that portion of themold having the compartments 19 and has upon its rear portion asufiicient space to form a work-board 28 to receive the plasticmaterial, from which it is fed or deposited in the usual or other propermanner in the mold 18.

To the rear extended end of the plates 4 are pivotally mounted theduplicate arms 29, to whose forward ends is rigidly fixed the handle-bar30. To the lower face of the bar 30 near its opposite ends are rigidlyfixed the blocks 31, to whose lower face in turn are rigidly fixed theopposite ends of the releasingbar 32, whose lower face is provided witha series of transverse slots 33, coincident with the partitions 20 andadapted to receive the same, thereby dividing the lower face into aseries of pendent projections 34, adapted to snugly fit and be receivedby the respective compartments 19 for the purpose of aiding in thedischarge of the blocks'from the mold.

The operation and manner of employing my invention thus described areobvious and, briefly stated, are. as follows: The plastic cement havingbeen previously placed upon the work board 28 and the pallet 15 being inposition, as described, beneath the mold, the operator fills the molds18 from the board 28, after which he lowers the releasing-bar 32 uponthe mold, whereby each projection 34 will rest upon its respective blockin the compartments 19. He then pushes the lever 26 forward, therebyelevating the mold as well as the surmounted table 27 to the limit oftheir upward movement, as shown in Fig. 3, this movement being aided bythe simultaneously descending weight 25, which is of sufficient gravityto temporarily retain the mold in its elevated position. This movementof the molds correspondingly forces the releasing-bar into a looseningcontact with the contents of the mold, and thereby discharges them fromthe mold to the pallet 15, which during this operation is of coursestationary, one pallet being in position directly beneath the mold andanother one being arranged upon the said belts directly at the rear ofthe said first pallet. The operator now seizes the hand-wheel 10 androtates it to the right, thereby carrying the loaded pallet forward uponthe forward end of the carrier-belts 11 to a point within convenientreach of the operator, who then removes the same. As this loaded palletis thus brought forward the one before mentioned as being immediately inits rear is simultaneously advanced to a position directly beneath themold, after which the mold and table are lowered to their normalposition, the mold resting upon the pallet, as before. By this means itis obvious that the bricks or blocks when molded can readily bedelivered from the molds to the operator without removing the mold.

The mold 35 for corner blocks or bricks (shown in Figs. 4 and 5) isemployed in the same manner as above described and is ar ranged to moldtwo such blocks at a time,

either with or without beveled edges, the portion 36 being for bevelingthe two outer edges of the blocks, and the portion 36 being designed forblocks without beveled edges. The pallet 18 is shown in Fig. 5, but isremoved in Fig. 4.

The fence-post mold (shown in Figs. 6 and 7) is also employed in asimilar manner as above described. This mold consists of a taperingframe 37, longitudinally divided by a central partition 37, whose lowerand opposite edges are chamfered or beveled to facilitate the dischargeof the posts from the mold. The partition 37 is rigidly secured at itsends by means of the cross-pieces 38 and 39. The pallet 18, which isemployed with the fence-post mold, preferably has a series of shorttransverse recesses 40, properly spaced near its upper end to receivethe looped end of short wire loops 41, whose free ends are firmlyembedded in the molded post to secure the line-wires of a wire fence ina well-understood manner. The molding of these posts and their dischargefrom the mold are the same as above described. In like manner molds formaking cement window caps and sills and similar products may be employedin my machine.

I have shown the carrier-belts 11 as made of leather, though they may besprocketchains instead, if preferred, without departin from the spiritand scope of my invention.

aving thus described my invention and the manner of employing the same,what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a cement-blockmachine, an upright supporting-frame; horizontal bars arrangedtransversely of said frame with rotatable pulleys-mounted on theopposite ends of each bar; an endless belt passing over the pulleys ofeach of said bars provided with means for engaging with a palletsupported on said belt; a pallet mounted on said carrierbelts andtransverse bars in said frame; a mold vertically adjustable relativelyto said pallet and arranged in cooperative relation therewith;(bifurcated) vertical standards slidably mounted in grooves in the innerfaces of upright standards at each end of the machine, and secured attheir upper ends to the mold-boX; duplicate operating-rods pivotallyconnected at their upper ends with said bifurcated standards and attheir lower ends pivotally connected to one end of a lever whose otherend is rigidly mounted upon a rotatable horizontal shaft; an uprightoperating-lever connected with said rotatable horizontal shaft toelevate and lower the said standards supporting said molding-box; andmeans for actuatin the carriers to remove the loaded pallet rom beneaththe mold when elevated.

2. In a machine of the class specified, a supporting-frame; horizontalbars arranged transversely of said frame with rotatable pulleys mountedin bifurcated .opposite ends of each bar; an endless belt mounted ineach of said bars provided with means for a holding engagement with apallet carried on sai belts; a pallet loosely mounted on saidcarrier-belts and transverse bars in said frame; a mold verticallyadjusted relatively to said pallet and arranged in cooperative relationtherewith; a work-board mounted on the frame in cooperative relation tothe mold; vertical standards slidably mounted in the inner faces ofupright standards at each end of the machine and secured at their upperends to the mold-bog; duplicate operatingrods, pivotally connected attheir upper ends with said slidably-mounted standards and at their lowerends pivotally connected to one end of a lever whose other end isrigidly mounted upon a rotatable horizontal shaft; an uprightoperating-lever connected with said rotatable horizontal shaft adaptedto elevate and lower the said standards supporting said molding-box andmeans for actuating the carriers to remove the loaded pallet frombeneath the mold when elevated.

Signed by me at Bluifton, county of Wells, State of Indiana, this 31stday of March, A. D. 1905.

TAYLOR F. SHOEMAKER. Witnesses:

FRANK W. GORDON, LEVI A. TODD.

